What does your dram sound like ?

Its not really anything I had though about until now, but the answer may be closer than expected Niels Dalum (composer) and Nikolaj Kynde (sound artist) have been hard at work figuring it out, together they form Whisky|Sound.

Just as each whisky has its own special fragrance, taste and color these guys have figured out a tune that it goes with. This is taking the sensations behind a whisky tasting one step further. The concept is simple, whilst you drink the whisky, they play the music that goes with the dram.

In just a few days time Niels & Nikolaj are coming to Aarhus to perform, and you still have the chance to come and experience what may be the first of many visits that they will be making to our fine little town.

Tickets for the upcoming tasting on 6. July, kl. 19:30-21:30 at “The Dome of Visions”, Inge Lehmanns Gade, Pier 2, 8000 Aarhus C are on sale, here – https://billetto.dk/en/e/whisky-sound-tickets-201998. Price is 350kr per ticket, or if you are a student, just 250kr.

Though it has not been publicized as yet, I have had a sneak preview of the line-up for the tasting – and without giving too much away, if they happened to break into a chorus of Smoke on the Water it might be fitting too :)

After the tasting, the duo will be retiring to Highlanders Bar, where we will have the opportunity for a drink and chat – once we have finalized the details in a day or two I will let you all know.

If you are still not sure, check out the video on facebook – https://www.facebook.com/whiskysound/videos/629018667303238/

The new limited edition Ardbeg Kelpie has arrived in the bar – come and give it a try before it disappears in the mist !!

Ardbeg Kelpie is named for the legends of the sea around Ardbeg.

Its powerful aromas of oily peat, salty seaweed and tarry rope have been produced by virgin oak casks from the Black Sea, intermingled with the hallmark Ardbeg flavour profile. Waves of spicy black pepper give way to a delectable tide of bacon and dark chocolate. Incredibly deep.

Non chill-filtered at 46% ABV

The Kelpie was released on this years Ardbeg day and is available in limited numbers only, we have been lucky enough to get our hands on one – though its not going to be around for very long !

Gin on the rocks, with a slice and maybe a splash of tonic.

Gin & Tonic “testing” at Highlanders

Highlanders is fairly well known as a great place for its selection of whisky, rum and beer – over recent months we have been seeing more and more interest in gin, craft gins, quality gins rather than gins we have come to know all too well over the last few decades.

So, after having taken some time to do a little research (with and without tonic), we have started to expand our range of gin.

For regulars, you will know the story of our “house” gin – The Botanist, for those who don’t, its from one of our favourite whisky distillers Bruichladdich and it has been our go to gin since we opened the bar.

Over the last year or so, a couple of other gins have found their way onto our golden shelves, Monkey 47, which is a drier gin from German, and probably has the largest number of botanicals, following that we added a couple of flavored gins from Edinburgh Gin – the good news our selection is being increased to around 20 different gins !

Harris Gin

Harris Gin, another scottish gin, this one is not only a great drink, its working towards supporting a community on a remote isle in the Outer Hebrides – you can read more about Harris Gin on their website here.

Njord from Aarhus

We have also got some locally sourced gin, in fact, its made just round the corner from from the bar by Spirit of Njord. Later in the year we will see if we can get they guys in for a tasting.

England, Europe and further afield

Our range includes a number of gins from the UK – Jensen’s small batch, Sipsmith VJOP from London, as well as Rokeby’s Half CrownSilent Pool and Pickerings. We have Martin Miller’s which is distilled in England and after a 10 day journey, it is blended with water coming from the fjord’s of Iceland.

From Belgium we have Copperhead, Citadelle from France (from the same house as our Plantation Rum), Gin Mare from Spain …, Hedgehog from Ron de Jeremy in the US and more…

We have selected a range of tonics to accompany the gins from the likes of Erasmus Bond, who basically invented tonic, and Fever Tree for those who prefer a slightly sweeter tonic, and 1724 which was created to accompany Gin Mare.

We wont be making fancy cocktails, that’s just not us, we will just be offering a range of great gins served in a modern way with lots of ice, a splash of tonic and a garnish.

Gin Tastings

We are offering Gin ( & tonic) tastings gift cards through both DuGlemmerDetAldrig and Smartbox, and needless to say we will also be hosting larger tastings with our suppliers and the various distillers in much the same way we host whisky, rum and beer tastings today.

Tastings will combine both a tasting of the different spirits, across the different styles, as well as a selection of different tonics.

Keep an eye on our facebook page and newsletter for more details.

If you would like to know more about our tastings, feel free to contact us here.

Of recent times India has been producing a number of award winning whisky’s, for the last 3 years we have had a number of them available at Highlanders. Just this week we have received a couple so we thought we would share a little about them.

Paul John Single Malt Whisky

Not that we take much note of what Jim Murray has to say here at Highlanders Bar, but in this instance we cant deny the fact the Paul John deserved a mention from him. He was kind enough to give them his “Liquid Gold Award” for 2016.

Paul John whisky comes from the foothills of the Himalays, it is double distilled in locally made copper pots and then matured in American white oak barrels. They are filled at around 63.5% and left to mature. The warmer temperatures around the Goa coast help the maturation process go by more quickly than in colder climates.

You can associate flavors such as subtle hints of spice, marmalade, chocolate, coconut, dry fruit, vanilla and honey with whisky from Paul John.

At Highlanders you will find a couple of different bottles to choose:

“Brilliance” which is a 46%. Brilliance is matured in ex-bourbon casks to give a warm golden/copper finish. It has won a number of gold and silver medals over the last couple of years.

“Peated Single Cask no. 784”, this is bottled at 57,3%. This has a good balance of sweet and peat, which Paul John peat their own barley with peat imported from Scotland. It’s not-chill filtered so retains a lot more of the flavours it developed whilst maturing in ex-bourbon casks.

Amrut

Not to far from Paul John, you can find the distillery of Amrut. Amrut has been around since around 1948, but its not really until the early 2000’s that we heard much about them in europe.

On offer at Highlanders, we have Amrut Fusion:

Fusion in the name comes from their use of both Indian and Scottish peated barley. Fusion has been drawing attention since it was introduced in 2009. Its another in the “sweet” and “peat” style of whisky, offering a soft smokey flavour, with the sweetness coming from the barley. Hints of vanilla, and maybe a little sherry along with some spice and something chocolatey and sweet.

A taste of India…

Why not drop by Highlanders this month and try our “Taste of India” – you get a 2cl taste of each of Paul John Brilliance, Amrut Fusion & Paul John Peated Single Cask no 784.

Ask at the bar for our specially priced “Taste of India”, available whilst stocks last.

Whisky from the SMWS at Highlanders Bar, Aarhus – contact us for whisky tastings.

For those of you who dont know the SMWS (Scotch Malt Whisky Society), they are an independent (originally just whisky) bottler that operates with a membership. Usually, only members and especially appointed bars & restaurants have access to these single cask – single malt whisky bottles.

Being a partner bar for the SMWS here in denmark, Highlanders has an ever changing selection of around 20 different bottles.

Unique bottles of whisky…

As a single cask of whisky from any given distillery may be very different from the usual bottlings offered by that distillery, giving you the name of the distillery would not always do justice for the unique qualities found in each whisky cask – so the bottles are all numbered.

The numbering system leaves you to focus on the wonderfully poetic descriptions from the SMWS tasting panel.

Here is a selection of the recently added whisky bottles:

11.33 Mouth-watering Melon Medley – 8 yo – 61,0 %

This was like a melon medley salad using Cantaloupe, Galia, honeydew and watermelon mixed with papaya and mango, chopped fresh mint and a refreshing, citrusy, tangy ginger syrup dressing drizzled on top – a mouth-watering proposition and wait until you’ve tasted it! How about nibbling on a strawberry, lime and black pepper ice lolly or having a spoonful of chilled Bloody Mary soup? Water added the creaminess of rose and lemon fondant fancies, macarons and mini chocolate eclairs and on the palate, a passion fruit Pavlova using mango, pineapple and strawberries dusted with icing sugar and a few mint leaves.

64.90 Love at first sniff – 26 yo – 54,1 %

The nose was ‘love at first sniff’ – spun sugar, golden meringues and manuka, dried mango and marmalade; toasted coconut, hazelnut and shea butter, polished antique furniture and lastly, rose-petals and nasturtiums. The silky smooth palate was ‘comfort in a glass’ –ginger fudge, brandy snaps, strawberry jam, acacia honey, salted caramel, sandalwood and chocolate florentines. The reduced nose had orange oil, sichuan pepper, marzipan, scented candles and aromatherapy sessions. The palate – well, we had so many words (amazing, heavenly, integrated) but agreed that none did it justice. After 26 years in ex-bourbon wood this was transferred to a virgin oak hogshead.

35.173 Falling in love in an instant – 14 yo – 57,9 %

Fresh, lively, sweet, charming, attractive and very engaging,’ might even be love at first nose’. Aromas of custard caramel doughnuts, vanilla Chantilly cream, honey poached peaches and fresh strawberries with mint ice cream – we really wanted to get to know this one. Beautiful mouthfeel; like a tropical fruit medley underneath the palm trees at sunset with sweet crunchy honeycomb covered in slightly bitter dark chocolate melting in your mouth. Let’s discover this further with a drop of water; even sweeter, even smoother, even more succulent – if that is at all possible! – and a teasing little spice tingled our taste buds.

3.294 Hebredian dreams – 20 yo – 56,5 %

We were transported on to the deck of a coal fired steam puffer feeling the cold salty sea breeze across our faces and warming our hands on a mug of Gaelic coffee or mulled wine spiced with cinnamon and cloves. Lunch was served and we enjoyed griddled scallops with smoked, sweet chilli sauce and smoked salmon crabmeat salad. With a drop of water we went ashore on a now beautiful sunny late afternoon at a sandy beach on the western shores of the Outer Hebrides with the machair in full bloom and watched the sunset with sweet, slightly smoky, creamy lavender lobster bisque.

29.205 Two wheeled beach cruiser – 17 yo – 58,8 %

Cycling along the beach we passed an old shipwreck with its weathered and tar-covered timbers that sat amongst the glistening rock pools and dried seaweed. The sweet smell of sticky pork ribs on a bbq hung in the air along with smoked rhubarb crumble with whipped cream and roasted limes. Suddenly my tire punctured on the sharp edge of an oyster shell, releasing a sweet innertube aroma. We sat down on a rock and opened a packet of salted almonds and some sweet smoked salmon, and as a rain shower started we relaxed whilst watching patterns being made by the raindrops in the sand.

If you would like to know more about the SMWS, about the concept, about membership or if you would like to just try one or two – our staff are available to help, or you can read more about SMWS membership here in denmark by visiting their website.

Back for the spring are a couple of organic fruit beers from english brewers Samuel Smith. These hand crafted fruit beers are a regular favourite as the days get warmer, and as the evening draws in and the cold returns, you can warm up with a nice creamy chocolate stout.

All of these are available in bottles at Highlanders Bar, for just 55kr per bottle.

Here’s how Sam Smiths describe the beers, if you want to see how others view the beers, dont forget to check them out on RateBeer.

Organic Apricot

“Handcrafted at Melbourn Bros’ tiny brewery set in a time warp in Stamford using the old manually operated brewing equipment. finest organically grown barley and wheat are used to create a complex ale which having undergone primary and secondary fermentation with different yeasts and extended maturation, is taken to Samuel Smith’s small, independent British brewery at Tadcaster. There it is blended with pure organic apricot fruit juice and a previously cellared organic brew – creating an unparalleled fruit ale. The smooth distinctive character of the matured ale serves as the perfect counterpoint to the pure organic fruit juice.”

Organic Raspberry

“A product of England this is an ale brewed with raspberry juice and natural flavours added. Brewed at All Saints in Stamford Lincolnshire and blended and bottled at Samuel Smith’s Brewery. The finest organically grown barley and wheat are used to create a complex ale which having undergone primary and secondary fermentation with different yeasts and extended maturation. This beer is blended with pure organic raspberry fruit juice and a previously cellared brew creating an unparalleled fruit ale. The smooth distinctive character of the matured ale serves as the perfect counterpoint to the pure organic fruit juice.”

Organic Chocolate Stout

“Brewed with well water (the original well, sunk in 1758, is still in use with the hard well water being drawn from 85 feet underground), the gently roasted organic cocoa extract impart a delicious, smooth and creamy character, with inviting deep flavours and a delightful finish – this is a marriage of satisfying stout and luxurious chocolate.”